Vengeance is Mine
by RGoodfellow64
Summary: Keeping secrets is in the past, now they are honest and open with each other.  But what happens creates a secret that Rick will never allow Kate to know.


Vengeance is Mine

by RGoodfellow64

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DISCLAIMER: Castle, the characters, the show and all that entails are owned by people who are not me.

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They were walking out of the crime scene, heading to the cruiser when a car flew down the street, heading towards them.

Kate, sensing something was wrong, reached for her weapon. Castle was looking around for something to protect them when he saw one of the darkened windows in the car open. In a split second decision, seeing the barrel of a gun sticking out of the window, he grabbed Kate and twirled her around, throwing her behind him just as the gun started shooting at the two of them.

From his throw, Kate was thrust into the entryway of a storefront and was mostly protected from any shots, even if specifically aimed at her. However the shots fired from the window were sent where they'd both been standing, and Castle was the only one still there.

He'd read that shots fired in a drive-by shootings were pretty inaccurate. This must be a professional though, as the first shot hit his upper arm and spun him on the ground. The dozen other shots fired were above his head and in a few seconds the car was speeding out of sight. He was sure that he'd seen a second weapon from the rear window.

By the time Esposito and Ryan ran up with uniforms, Castle was already sitting up and looking for Kate. When he saw the blood his emotions took over and he rushed to her side, his own bleeding arm forgotten.

There evidently _was_ a second weapon, as Kate had been shot twice in the thigh and he knew the gun that hit him wasn't even aiming where she was.

Two of the uniforms got into their car and headed in the direction of the hit vehicle, but it was obviously far too late to catch them. Esposito pulled Castle away from Kate to check on her wound, which is when he found Castle had also been shot. Ryan called for an ambulance saying that two officers were down, and Perlmutter was, to the surprise of everyone, not only amazingly efficient in helping stabilize both wounds, but he had a remarkably compassionate bedside manner to the injured.

If he wasn't so worried about Kate, Castle would have been staring at him like the rest of the police. Kate, meanwhile, really wasn't talking, she seemed almost in shock, but he knew that wasn't it either. Knowing her as he did, Castle knew this was her reaction to his being shot, along with her own PTSD.

Two ambulances arrived and although Castle argued to go with Kate, they couldn't handle two injuries of this type at the same time. He finally stopped arguing when Ryan said he'd ride with her to the hospital.

When they arrived at the hospital, Castle demanded that he be placed near Kate in the emergency room, and was, for the short time she was there. The shots to her thigh needed surgery, while he had been lucky that the bullet only gave him a flesh wound and passed through his arm. He didn't even need a cast, which caused him to complain that no one would know he'd been shot…he hoped that would make her feel better. But as for him, there was something off.

Ryan noticed it right away when Castle came in to see Beckett before she was sent to the operating room. The love for her was pouring from his eyes, the concern he had for her was so strong Ryan could feel it. Funny thing was the same was coming from her.

All the way to the hospital she kept repeating the same thing over and over, "He was shot Kevin, he was shot. He could have died and he protected me." He told her that Castle was in better shape than she was and she'd quiet down for a bit then start all over again. The smile on her face when he walked in and she saw him standing behind Ryan was brilliant.

When Ryan saw Beckett's face light up he didn't even need to turn around when he said, "Hey Castle, feeling better?"

"Yeah, I am, thanks," Castle's reply came from behind him, and he moved to the side to allow Castle to walk by till he stood by the bed and held her hand. Ryan could see how strong the grip was that she had on his hand, but Castle never said a word, just gazed into her eyes till the doctors and nurses came to bring her to the OR.

Castle questioned the doctor but he cited policy that he couldn't divulge any information. When Kate informed him that Castle was her emergency contact and had the right to any information the doctors had, he quickly came around.

That surprised Ryan, but what surprised him even more was the look on Castle's face, it was obvious that he knew nothing about that either. The doctor looked at Ryan but when Kate cleared her throat, he informed them that Kate had been very lucky, no artery was hit and the first bullet passed through the thigh. The second was a bit lower and chipped the bone before passing through and they needed to repair the damage. It should only be a few hours and she'd be out of the OR and probably only be in the hospital for a day or so.

Kate squeezed Rick's hand as they began to wheel her out of the ER. Before she let go of his hand though, Ryan noticed Castle mouth the words 'I love you,' and was very glad to hear her softly say, "Me too," before she let go and was taken to the OR.

Castle sighed, then looked back at Ryan, who put his hand gently on Castle's shoulder and quietly said, "She'll be fine Castle, but you look like hell. Why don't you lie down and wait for the doctor?"

Castle nodded thanks and went back to his bed while Ryan said he was going to call Gates to fill her in, then he'd come right back. Castle just nodded his head again and wearily lay down, the adrenalin starting to finally wear off. But his mind was still active, and had been since the shooting. Why was she targeted again? She hadn't looked into her mother's case since last May, ten months ago. Why now?

He knew he had to discover the answer and was impatient to get back home and find it.

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Hours later, Rick left the hospital after visiting with Kate. She looked worn out and her eyes showed the effects this had on her PTSD. But she still had the fire and she finally forced him to leave, to call his family and then rest. Her dad had arrived and Lanie would be coming over later.

At his hesitation she smiled and said, "You can always come back later. Get some rest. Please Rick, get some rest."

When he left he didn't head straight home though, he made a phone call first to make an appointment fot later that night. He arranged it so he would go there after visiting Kate, then he took a taxi and headed to the 12th Precinct.

When he arrived, he was patted on the back, asked how he was and generally treated not only like an injured police officer, but something of a hero as well. He saved his partner, and that is something that means so very much to every officer.

Getting off the elevator, he walked past Kate's desk, nodded to Esposito and Ryan and then stopped in front of Captain Gate's office. Knocking on the doorframe, he waited till she invited him in and told him to sit.

"Captain, I'm here simply to assure you, and the NYPD that I am in no way holding the department responsible for my injury."

Gates kept looking at him and slowly nodded her head. This was something she had been concerned about since she came to the 12th.

Rick cleared his throat and continued, saying, "Aside from all the papers that I signed in the beginning, my respect for the NYPD would never allow me to do such a thing. This was not their fault at all…"

Gates, hearing the pause in his voice, raised her eyebrows and softly said, "Continue."

"This was a hit, Sir. Pure and simple. It looks like the people who shot Ka…Detective Beckett last May are trying to do it again."

"According to the initial reports, your actions are the reason why she is in the hospital and not in the morgue right now."

"I wish I could have done more Sir."

"You thought on your feet, you thought quickly and reacted at almost the same time. I never thought I'd say this Mr. Castle, but Detective Beckett is correct, you are a good partner for her."

If he wasn't so angry at the dragon, so consumed with hate for this person who wants to kill his Kate, Castle would have reacted differently, instead he simply said, "Thank you Sir. I never want to relive last May again."

Nodding her head in dismissal, Gates thanked Castle for coming to see her and told him to go home and rest. Esposito and Ryan were heading the investigation into the shooting and Detective Beckett would probably be released in the next day or so. In the meantime they had a 24-hour security detail on her.

Castle nodded his head, thanked Gates for her time and walked out the door to Esposito's desk. When he reached it, he slowed down and quietly said, "Break room Javi," and he continued walking till he entered the empty break room and sat down.

A few seconds later Esposito sat next to him and Castle asked a question. It was not the question that Esposito expected, and he was surprised when Castle asked. A small part of his brain was also impressed that Castle had asked it without moving his lips at all. Anyone outside the break room would never know he'd ever said a word.

Esposito asked his own question, "Why do you want to know that, bro?"

Castle turned and looked at Esposito and what was in his eyes made the tough detective instinctively react by moving back in his chair. He'd never seen that look in Castle's eyes. A few times he saw it while serving in Iraq, but Castle?

The blue eyes were cold. Colder than ice. There was a menace in them that Esposito never expected in his easy-going friend. This was a side of Castle that worried him, because this was a coldness that went beyond the grave. If Castle had been locked in that freezer for a hundred years, Esposito doubted his eyes would ever be as cold as they were right now.

Without any expression on his face Castle said, "Just curious."

Esposito looked into Castle's eyes again and knew. He'd seen that look before and knew what it meant, knew what it would bring. He wished as he'd never wished before, and prayed that this would pass, but the look in Castle's eyes never wavered.

With all his training, with all his fighting knowledge, Esposito knew he never wanted to meet Castle in a dark alley when he had that look. As they stared at each other, Esposito realized that he would be the one who had to break that gaze, not Castle.

'This must be what was in his eyes when he jumped on Lockwood', he thought as he finally turned his eyes away from Castle.

Because what was in front of him right now wasn't Richard Castle the author, Richard Castle the friend or Richard Castle the fun-loving guy who dressed like Elvis. No, that Richard Castle wasn't here…this Richard Castle was dangerous. This Richard Castle worried Esposito and if he was honest with himself, frightened him just a little.

With never a change in his own expression, Esposito shook himself mentally and then said in a soft voice, "In Iraq I used the Cheytec Intervention. It shoots a .408 round that can pierce an armored vehicle and has a bullet spread of only .3 centimeters from a mile away."

"That's the best?"

"It was. Some of my old friends still serving are starting to use the Savage 110BA, but I don't know much about that."

"Too new?"

"Yeah, just the last year or so."

Castle nodded his head and got up from his seat, as he walked to the door of the break room he paused and said, "Thanks Javier."

Esposito leaned forward in his chair and asked, "Bro…?"

Castle stopped in the doorway but didn't turn around, simply waited for Esposito to speak. "Bro, Vengeance is Mine, said the Lord."

Castle shook his head and replied, "Not anymore," then walked out of the room. As he entered the elevator, Esposito stood in the break room door and watched as the doors slowly closed. Castle's eyes were still ice. Still so cold that they would probably freeze the sun.

He didn't know what Castle was up to. He didn't want to know what Castle was up to. He was worried what Castle was up to and yet…he had a fierce pride in his friend, his partner, right now.

He turned around and almost bumped into Ryan, who was also watching the elevator doors. Ryan then turned to Esposito and said, "Something off about Castle, not quite sure what, but he looks different. His eyes, glassy and cold."

Shaking his head Esposito said, "Probably worried about Beckett. C'mon bro, we have lots of paperwork to do.

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When he arrived at the Loft, Castle immediately went into his office and turned on his murder board. He entered a code and the picture of Kate appeared with all the other information he'd gathered over the last eighteen months. He hadn't done anything for the past few months since he'd learned who the dragon was, he'd let it sit till everything was cold and then he and Kate would bring him down.

So why, why when nothing was happening did someone try to kill Kate? He unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and took out a box. Using another key he unlocked it, picked up the burner phone inside and pressed the number one key. A few seconds later, it started to ring and was answered, as always, on the third ring.

"You only had two more calls left Mr. Castle, this better be important."

Castle simply asked, "Why?"

"Why?"

"Yeah Smith, why? Why was she targeted again? There has been nothing done to try to find the dragon and she has been kept far away from that. So why?"

"When I heard I immediately called him," Smith said, "He said it was a warning for her to know he is still out there and to stay away."

Castle ran his hand through his hair and said, "For the love of…was he born stupid or has he gotten that way over the years? This isn't going to stop Kate; this is going to remind her that he needs to be found! What on earth was he thinking?"

"He was getting worried that no movement meant she was quietly investigating the case."

"That has got to be the most pathetically stupid reason I've ever heard Smith, just plain stupid!"

"I told him that," Smith said. "He will back off as long as she does."

"She was! She did! And he still sends someone after her?"

"You will have to keep her from doing anything Mr. Castle."

"Smith, I will do everything I can, and anything I can to keep her safe," Castle said and then disconnected the call.

He was furious. He was so angry he was squeezing the phone too hard and had to stop before he broke it. This was his only contact with Smith and now he had only one call left. He was going to make it count.

He stared at the murder board for a few more minutes, looking into the eyes of the dragon. The man they thought was a mastermind turned out to be as stupid and full of hubris as anyone else. Without taking his eyes away from the dragon, Castle picked up the remote and shut down the murder board. He knew he'd need to get an hour or two of rest before he visited Kate this evening, and then he had his meeting with an old friend.

Before anything else though he called Alexis to see how she and his mother were holding up, checking colleges in Florida. They spoke for a while and he told her that Lanie missed her, but not as much as he did. Then he told her about the drive-by shooting at the crime scene, and not to worry if she hears anything on the news or on line, he is perfectly fine and they always get things wrong.

Alexis believed him and after a few more minutes they ended their call and Castle went to lie down and rest. He thought with everything going on in his mind that he'd have trouble sleeping, but he fell sound asleep within minutes.

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A few hours after he awoke he was sitting next to Kate, playing gin rummy, and she was beating the pants off of him. She was so relieved that he was ok, but there was still the fear that he would be targeted since he was with her. She kept looking at him as if she was going to lose him any minute now.

"You're taking advantage of my terrible wound to beat me, aren't you?" he asked as she won another hand.

She gave a timid smile and put her hand out on his. "Of course." Then she softly said, "You shouldn't have done that Rick. If anything happened to you I don't know what I'd do, or even if I could survive."

"Same with me Kate. These last four months have been the most wonderful in my life, and I fully intend on spending the next few dozen decades loving you."

"Few dozen decades Rick?" Kate asked with a smile. "Are you planning to be around for another hundred and twenty years at least?"

Rick raised one eyebrow and said in a lofty manner, "Oh easily. The strides in medicine and science will ensure that." He paused a moment and said, "Luckily I'm well enough off that we can afford to continue to live that long."

Kate chuckled and the haunted look receded from her eyes and all that was left was the love she felt for him. He smiled back at her and chuckled when she started to yawn.

"You need to get some sleep Kate."

"Yeah, I am getting really tired, but I don't want you to go."

"I know. I don't want to leave either, but you know how these hospitals can be."

"Yeah. Before you go, no one has told me a thing and I need to know…" she lowered her voice below a whisper and asked, "Was this the dragon?"

This was the test. This was when everything he ever picked up from his years growing up with his mother would count. Did he learn to act believably or not? Never taking his eyes from hers, he said, "They really don't know Kate. This could be but it could also have been just some idiots thinking a drive-by shooting at cops was fun."

She looked in his eyes, never blinked and finally, after what seemed like ages, nodded her head and let it go. "So I don't need to worry about him targeting you?"

"Nope, not at all," he said with conviction. "The only thing you need to think about is how much you love me."

She smiled and said, "That's all?"

"What do you mean 'that's all'? That's pretty important and really should take a lot of your time."

Kate smiled and put out her arms for him to come close to her for a hug and kiss. When he pulled away she said, "I don't need to constantly think about it Rick. Loving you is like breathing, I just do."

Giving her a last kiss he said, "Hey, who's supposed to be the writer in this relationship?"

Before opening the door to leave, he turned to look at her and before he could say anything, she said, "Until tomorrow Rick."

His smile grew and he practically beamed at her when he replied, "Until tomorrow Kate," then left her room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Once outside, his demeanor changed and he became all business, his eyes became like steel again as he nodded to the officers guarding the room before heading on his way to his meeting.

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Forty-five minutes later, he entered a small Italian restaurant and stood in the doorway for a moment. He'd seen the van up the street and knew the police were monitoring the place, but he needed some information and there was no other way.

Looking at the end of the general eating area, he saw the table by the door to the kitchen and headed towards it, giving the man who was sitting there a slight smile and a wave. Before he walked another ten feet however, he was stopped by two large men who blocked his way.

Without a second's hesitation Castle stopped and put his hands behind his head and let the two men frisk him. When they finished they looked to the man at the table who nodded his head, and they moved aside to let Castle continue to the table, where he shook the man's hand and then sat down at his direction.

"Ricky! How ya doin'! You said you need some help with a new book?"

"Hi Vinnie, I'm doing well, really well. And yes I do need some help with an idea I have."

Although he sounded upbeat and friendly, Vinnie saw the look in Castle's eyes. He'd seen that look before, and he knew this wasn't the fun meeting that Castle was trying to project. Vinnie knew immediately that Castle had seen the police van outside and realized their conversation would probably be recorded, he also knew that he had been shot earlier today at a failed hit on Detective Beckett.

While Vinnie was inspecting Castle, Castle was studying Vinnie. Vincent Buonarroti, aka Vinnie "the plumber", claimed that he was related to Michelangelo, and had developed a love of painting and sculpture, which is how Castle first met him. It turned out that Castle was one of his favorite authors and soon a strange friendship developed between the author and the alleged mobster. Castle had even based a character on Vinnie in one of his novels, and Vinnie's whole family was thrilled with the way he was portrayed, stern and tough in business but loving and caring to his family. So much so, that Castle had even been welcomed into their homes and was sometimes invited to important family gatherings.

"How's the arm Ricky? Heard you got yourself in the middle of something earlier today."

Keeping up the friendly façade, Castle said, "I really wanted a cast Vinnie, let everyone know what a hero I am, but all they did was give me a shot and a band-aid."

Vinnie chuckled at that, as did one of his bodyguards. They knew that 'Ricky' was made of tougher stuff; he had the guts to come here, didn't he?

"So what's this new idea you have? You're not going to turn Nikki Heat into an artist, are you?"

"No, I'll leave that to you…which reminds me, there's going to be a Calder exhibit at the Met next month, will you and Theresa be there for the opening?"

Outside the restaurant, two bored police officers listened to the conversation and realized this was just personal conversation and nothing mob related, after all, Castle worked with the 12th. Although they would still record the conversation, they turned down the volume and one left to get something to eat while the other picked up the newspaper.

Inside the restaurant, the conversation finally got around to the reason Castle was there. "I don't know Ricky," then waving his hand Vinnie continued, "I know you met Dick Coonan a couple years ago, and that Lockwood guy last year, but they usually don't come out of the shadows."

"I know Vinnie, but if I can get any information, as if he was one of the best, and who uses the type of gun I mentioned…"

"Ricky, whoever this character is in your book, it's gotta be right. Make sure your guy or whoever's looking, knows that these kinds of people don't ever meet, there's just cash transferred, usually to places like the Cayman Islands, or some other off shore account. Once they get the money they do the job, or so I've heard."

Vinnie paused a moment than added, "This is what I've heard on the street you understand, I don't know this stuff for sure, I just run a restaurant."

Rick nodded his head in understanding and Vinnie said, "You know Ricky, you hear all kinds of stuff on the street, who knows if it's true or not?" They then talked about young Vinnie and his wanting to be in a book like hid dad. Rick said he would probably write him in as a kid who saw a murder or helps in some other way, and the conversation slowed down as the two shared an espresso, talking about the weather, Alexis going to college and family. Finally Castle looked at his watch and noticing the time said he had to leave.

Vinnie nodded to one of his bodyguards who called for a taxi to get Castle home and a few minutes later the two shook hands, and Castle left.

The taxi was waiting outside the restaurant and Castle got in. Telling the driver his address, Rick sat back in the seat and opened his hand to see the little scrap of paper with a name and a phone number on it that Vinnie slipped to him when they shook hands. He held it cupped in his hand till they neared his building and he discretely slipped it into his wallet when he pulled out the cash to pay the cabbie, who he suspected of being an undercover officer.

Once in his building he entered the elevator and took it to his floor. Inside the loft he turned on a few lights and then quietly left again, walking down the stairs to the parking garage where he got into his car and drove to an electronics store that was open all night. Inside he made a few frivolous purchases as well as a burner phone and then drove home.

Back in his building, he made his way to the rooftop garden, took the paper out of his wallet and made a call with the newly purchased burner phone. When he was finished, he took the sim card out of the phone, broke it in two and put the pieces in the dirt in two large pots on opposite ends of the garden. He then went back down to the loft where he took apart the phone, making sure it could never be used again, and no information could be retrieved from it. Those times he watched Ryan gather information from broken phones finally paid off.

A few minutes later, he was at his computer doing some on line banking before heading to bed. During the Derrick Storm years, he had enjoyed creating accounts all over the world with special encryption codes created by some of the best hackers he could find. It was something fun to do at the time and yet he always suspected there would be a need for that one day. He just never expected a quarter of a million dollars worth of need.

His banking done, he went to bed, setting his alarm so he could be at the hospital the very second that visiting hours started. He looked forward to seeing Kate again. He had to make sure she was safe and secure. He fell asleep thinking of all the ways he would try to spoil her when he got her here at the loft to convalesce.

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The next day was spent not just with Kate at the hospital, but also by spending time with the press as they were inundating Paula with calls for information on Castle being shot while with the NYPD. Castle played the whole thing down and managed to quell the presses natural instincts to make this a big deal, and spent most of the time quietly enjoying Kate's company, making jokes of how horrible her time with him was going to be which made her laugh quite often. That in turn making his heart soar, as he was the reason she was happy. He would do anything to keep her smiling like that.

At home that night he spent about another hour on the phone with Alexis, listening to her enthusiastic reviews of the colleges she visited and trying to impress on her the dangers of going to college in a state that has alligators that like to eat young co-eds.

With a smile on his face that only his daughter can bring, he went to bed and promptly fell asleep.

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The next morning, Richard Castle woke up and entered his kitchen, starting his morning routine. Kate was going to be released from the hospital today and he was looking forward to taking care of her while she convalesced. He smiled knowing it wasn't going to be easy, but he'd do the best he could…what she'd allow him to do anyway.

He turned on the television and immediately listened to the breaking story out of Washington DC, the assassination of Representative Brendon Chalmbers. Hearing that his shoulders slumped just a bit, and he sighed, as if a great weight had been lifted from him.

Although not very hungry, he knew today would be a busy day and he went about fixing his breakfast while listening to the news. Finishing quickly, he turned off the TV and walked to his office. He turned on the murder board and looked at Kate's picture in the center, surrounded by all those who were killed by the dragon…the man whose photo was the only other one without an X through it.

Suddenly he heard the phone ringing inside his desk. The burner phone, the one that has one more call left on it to talk to Mr. Smith. He quickly opened the drawer and the box and answered the phone.

"Mr. Castle, the dragon is dead."

"He is?"

"Evidently his past sins caught up with him and someone shot him, he was Representative Chalmbers, you may have seen it on the news?"

"Yes. Yes I did." Rick let out a sigh. "It's over, thank God its over."

"Detailed information on his crimes have been anonymously sent to the FBI…it _is_ over Mr. Castle."

"Thank you. Thank you for calling and telling me. I appreciate it."

"I wish you and your family a long and happy life, Mr. Castle."

"And Detective Beckett, we can't forget about her."

"I was including her with your family, Mr. Castle. She is, isn't she?"

"Yes, yes she is. Very much so."

"Goodbye Mr. Castle."

"Goodbye Mr. Smith, and thank you."

Castle disconnected the call and threw the now useless burner phone in his desk. He'd dispose of it later. He turned to the murder board and looked at the face of the dragon, the same Representative Chalmbers who was killed by a sniper's bullet to the head.

Castle picked up the remote, selected the photo and soon a big red X appeared over the face of the man who'd caused so much pain and suffering.

A satisfied smile came on his face. "Checkmate, you son of a bitch," he said, just before he closed down the board.

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**Authors Note: This just came to me the other day, no idea where it was hiding but all of a sudden, I couldn't stop writing, and that wasn't easy as the idea came to me at work! **

**Now for those of you who are patiently waiting for chapter 23 of IFP, I apologize profusely. I am having a difficult time writing it, haven't been feeling all the love these past episodes of Castle, and with all the breaks, my muse evidently decided on other stories. After I write a few more chapters, I hope to upload another one I've been working on, but that one was stopped to write this. I still keep going back to IFP though and hoping my muse gets interested in it again.**


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